Asami Sato's Dangerous Proposition
by Leaving-My-Mark
Summary: Asami comes to Korra in the middle of the night with a dangerous plan to make a final trip home and asks for Korra's assistance. Reluctantly, the Avatar agrees, but what sort of welcome, if any, will they receive when they return to the Sato Mansion?
1. Final Hope

**A/N: **I know at least one person who was really hoping I'd write a multi-chaptered fic. I told them I might if the idea struck me. And guess what-it has.

There's a leaked picture or two from the upcoming episode 8, When Extremes Meet, floating around that shows a pretty angry looking Korra who looks like she's been captured. Some say she's in the Police Headquarters and others say she's at the Sato Mansion. That was the inspiration to this multi-chaptered story. And in case anyone likes this, I plan on writing something else to go along with the other possibility.

**Summary: **Asami comes to Korra in the middle of the night with a dangerous plan to make a final visit back home and asks for Korra's assistance. Reluctantly, the Avatar agrees, but what sort of welcome, if any, will they receive when they return to the Sato Mansion?

* * *

As she walks through the darkened corridors, Asami is astounded at how quiet her new residence is at night. The city seems twice as far away as it did earlier when she looked out over the cliffs at it. There are no sounds from the city that reach the Island and there is no sign of anyone or anything except the hushed sound of beating waves against the rocks. It is dead quiet.

Although she's normally a thrill seeker and although she's broken the rules before at home, this seems different. Tenzin, Pema, and Korra have been so gracious as to offer and let her stay here, and she doesn't want to ruin their hospitality by being caught roaming about. A part of her worries they might not fully trust her; after all, her dad had just been found guilty of being an Equalist, and her being caught wandering suspiciously around the house at night just two days after that turn in events probably wouldn't help her case any. Willingly having electrocuted her father or not, they could still suspect her of being a spy; of pretending to go against her father so she could get closer to the Avatar and her Airbending teacher.

But she believes it's necessary, this so-called suspicious behavior, because she needs to ask a favor of a certain Waterbending Fire Ferret before her teammate can dissuade her from helping before she's even able to ask her herself.

And so Asami continues making her way along the halls, careful not to make a noise as she tries to find Korra's room in the dark. She thinks she's nearly there, but isn't very sure, when she hears a sharp gasp followed by a relieved sigh. Asami stops and notices the door is ajar. She peeks inside and sees that she's much closer to Korra's room than she thought. In fact, she has just so happened to find it.

She hesitates at the door, however, because she notices that while the Avatar is now awake, it seems as if she's rather troubled. It doesn't seem right to interrupt her when she seems like she needs a moment alone. Plus, Asami is afraid she might startle her friend if she intrudes now.

Korra's furry, white companion instantly picks up on the fact that the she seems troubled and picks up her head to look at her from the end of the bed.

"Don't worry, Naga, I'm fine. Go ahead and go back to sleep—at least one of us should get a good night's rest," Korra says dismissively, pulling away the covers and sidling up to the edge of the bed to stroke Naga's head. Reluctantly, the animal lowers its head and closes its eyes, although Asami can tell she's still on alert. Korra turns away and sits on the side of the bed, resting her elbows on her knees. Then she closes her eyes and sighs as she massages her temples.

Asami waits a moment for the Avatar to collect herself, then gingerly knocks on the door. "Korra?" she calls softly, doing her best not to startle her.

Regardless of her attempts, Korra still jumps a little when she realizes someone is at the door.

Asami pushes the door open a bit and peeks her head around it, giving Korra a shy little wave. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"No, no, it's fine," the Waterbender insists, motioning for Asami to step inside. She does, and closes the door most of the way behind her. "Is everything okay? Is the bed uncomfortable or something? Do you need anything?"

"No, everything's fine," Asami quickly assures her. "I'm just…having trouble adjusting."

"I understand. It must be so hard for you," she says with deep sympathy.

"It seems I'm not the only one going through a difficult time right now," Asami answers, referring to Korra's obvious sleep troubles.

"Me? Nah, I'll be just fine," she says, and Asami instantly knows she's lying. In fact, she's a terrible liar.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you're not a very good liar."

Korra sighs and looks down at the floorboards. "That seems like the general consensus."

"You shouldn't be afraid to ask for help. You don't have to go through everything alone just because you're the Avatar," Asami adds carefully, having heard from Mako just how stubborn the girl can be.

"I know, it's just…"

"I get it. You're trying to prove yourself. You don't want to appear as weak or dependent, but trust me, no one sees you that way."

Korra simply nods. "So what'd you come here in the middle of the night for?" she says, changing the topic before any more can be said on the subject.

"I…wanted to know if you could help me with something," Asami says slowly, knowing she has to word this request carefully if she wants Korra to agree to it.

The Waterbender raises a curious eyebrow and sits up a bit. She's got her attention.

"Before I go on, just please, hear me out until I'm done, okay? I know it's going to sounds crazy and you might not like how it sounds, but it's important to me. So please, just hear what I have to say, Korra."

"Yeah, no problem," Korra says, both looking and sounding quiet perplexed.

"I know that it may be dangerous because we don't know what to expect, but I really, really want to go back home. I need to see if my dad's still there or if he's...gone somewhere else. I was thinking of leaving a note for him to explain myself and—and to say goodbye."

"Asami—" Korra gently starts, but the Sato heiress cuts her off before she can protest.

"Please, I need this closure. And maybe you can find something in his office that you may have missed. Maybe there's a plan for something in his desk—I don't know. But it could be worth a shot, right?" Asami ventures, her soft eyes staring pleadingly at the Avatar.

Korra frowns, looking torn over the fairer-skinned girl's dilemma. "I—Asami, I don't know…Have you told Mako about this plan of yours?"

She nods. "Yes, but he said it was a bad idea. He said that if my father's there, he might try to capture me or persuade me to come back to him. He condemned the entire plan, saying it was too dangerous for everyone, especially me."

"Sounds like what Mako would say. But Asami, he _does_ have a point. I mean, he ambushed me, Tenzin, and Chief Beifong, nearly capturing all of us. I don't know if we should risk it. What if what Mako said happens? What if your dad _does_ try to capture you?"

For a moment, there's a level of uncertainty and fear in Asami's eyes which, combined with the overwhelming sense of sadness and desperation on her face makes Korra's frown deepen. She doesn't like letting her down like this because she knows Asami came to her thinking that she'd be the one person most likely to agree to her plan; because she knows how important this is to her.

But she can't help but think that this is all a terrible idea.

As Asami doesn't seem to have an answer to any of these questions, Korra goes on to apologetically add, "I'm sorry, Asami, but I'm in agreement with Mako on this one. I don't think you should go."

And suddenly, Asami's face, instead of crumbling into a fit of tears due to another rejection, hardens. When she blinks, the desperation has morphed into determination. Her jaw is set in a fierce line and she shakes her head at Korra, suddenly looking rather perturbed and angry. "I don't have to ask for either of your guys' permission. Or for your help. I could just go on my own," she assures the Avatar, who looks taken aback by the sudden change and the willful declaration.

"Asami, please don't," says Korra, rising from her seat.

"No, I can do what I want. I'm plenty old enough to decide for myself. I know the risks, and if I want to take them, I can and you can't stop me. Neither can Mako."

"I understand that. It's just that neither of us wants to see you caught in a position we know you don't want to be in. Do you really want to make yourself have to choose again? Wasn't it hard enough the first time?"

For a moment, Asami's resolve looks like it might collapse into a puddle, but then she clenches her fist and sternly replies, "No. Either you decide to come with me or I'm going alone, and I'm not going to let you stop me."

Korra falters, unsure of what to do, before she finally makes up her mind. "Fine. If I can't stop you, then I suppose I'll have to help you."

Asami smiles. "Okay, then. We'll head out tomorrow after everyone goes to bed. Don't let Mako know _anything_, though. If he asks you if I told you about this, say yes, but swear to him that you refused and that you convinced me to back down from the mission. Got it?"

"Yeah," Korra solemnly promises. "Yeah, I got it."

"And thank you," Asami closes the space between them and wraps her arms around her. "One way or another, I knew I could count on you." And with that, she leaves.

"Yep, good ol' reliable Korra," the dark-skinned Avatar says, heaving a sigh as she sits back down on the bed. Naga looks up at her curiously and she looks back down at companion worriedly. "Why do I have the bad feeling that this isn't going to go as smoothly as planned?"

And although nightmares do not plague her for the rest of the night, the Avatar finds herself unable to fall back asleep.

* * *

**A/N: **Want me to continue? Leave me a review and add this story to your story alerts. If I get a good enough response, I'll keep it going! Thanks!


	2. The Snag in the Plan

**A/N: **I've only gotten 2 reviews for this so far, but I'm super nice, so here's chapter 2, in which Korra and Asami try to decide what to do about the one snag in their plan: Mako.

* * *

Korra finds herself at the midway point between awake and asleep, only having just managed to convince herself to get some rest, when Mako barges in to interrogate her. "Korra," he says urgently, shaking her shoulder. Not quite understanding that because this is real and not a dream, she's supposed to respond, Korra simply groans in protest, swats a lazy hand at him to shoo him away (she's only just beginning to fall asleep, why does he have to ruin it now?), and burrows her face into the pillow and further away from the anxious Firebender.

But she doesn't live in the in-between much longer, as Mako's not-so-gentle nudging and another, urgent-sounding, "Korra, wake up!" finally get through to her and cause her to stir.

"Mako?" she says groggily, cupping a hand over her eyes to look up at him as she rolls toward him. "Why are you in here?" she asks, sitting up and squinting at him as her eyes adjust to the bright lighting in her room.

"Hey, Mako, did you get Korra—so that's what your hair looks like when it's down!" The two look over to see Bolin peeking through the doorway with a fascinated look on his face as he observes the newly-awakened third member of the Fire Ferrets.

"What? Oh," says Korra, separating a strand and pulling it up to her eyes as she realizes what the Earthbender means. "Yeah, I always wear it down when I sleep."

"You should wear it down when you're awake sometimes, too," Bolin suggests. "It looks nice."

"I would," Korra replies honestly, because she has thought about it as a way to get Mako's attention, "but I found out when I was younger that it gets in the way a lot if I do."

"It's a darn shame," says Bolin lightly, making a tutting sound and shaking his head in mock disappointment.

"Hey, Bolin? Mind giving us a moment? I need to ask Korra something," says Mako, sounding a little irate with his brother for distracting them.

"Sure thing, bro." And Bolin's head in the doorway instantly vanishes.

"So, good morning to you, too, Mr. Grumpy Pants," Korra deadpans as Mako turns back to face her with impatience written all over him and etched in his eyes.

Mako rolls his eyes, knowing she's annoyed with his lack of patience and proclivity to suck the joy out of the air like a Waterbender sucks out the moisture. "Sorry, there's just something important on my mind and I need to know right now about something so I can warn you if you don't already know it."

"If it's about Asami and her crazy scheme, I've already heard about it."

"What? When?"

"Last night. She came to my room in the middle of the night and tried to convince me to come with her."

"What'd you say?" Mako asks, dreading her response. He knows how easily she takes up a challenge, how willingly she steps forth to help a friend, how eager she is to prove herself and to show she can handle things on her own. Of course he's going to be just a little terrified that she will have taken up Asami's offer and that the two of them will lead themselves into a heap of trouble.

And knowing the both of them, he knows they most certainly will.

"I told her no; absolutely not. I said it was way too dangerous, and that if Hiroshi is still there, he might put her in a position that she doesn't want to be in," Korra calmly replies, as if the answer were obvious.

Mako sighs in relief, and the anxiety dissipates from his face as he realizes he doesn't have to fear so much anymore. "Good. Thank you. You made the right call."

"Of course I did," Korra teases, "I'm the Avatar. I'm the master of right call making."

Mako chuckles. "Since when?" he jokingly fires back.

"Since forever, Hot Head," she says with a laugh, then throws the blanket aside and hops out of bed. "Now get out, I need to get dressed."

"Okay, okay, I'm going," says Mako, holding up his hands defensively. "And again, thanks. I don't think she's going to try anything after having gotten two thumbs down, but I'll be sure to keep a look out tonight to make sure."

"Sounds good," Korra replies with a nod. "See you in a minute."

Mako gives her a firm nod and a wave, then heads out the door.

* * *

Later that night, Korra sits with Asami on the steps leading up to the house. "The talk with Mako this morning seemed to go just as planned," Asami says approvingly, looking over at Korra.

The Avatar nods. "Yeah, just like you asked." Asami misses the frown that graces her dark skin for the briefest of moments; she doesn't realize how much it bothered her having to lie to her friend like that.

Or perhaps she does, because a moment later, she turns to face Korra more directly and gently says, "Korra, you didn't really lie to him at all. You only told him that you said it was a bad idea, right?"

"Yeah," Korra says, unconvinced.

"And you actually did say that. You didn't technically tell him anything false, you just…left one very important detail out of the conversation."

While she knows that's true, it makes her feel all the more guilty. Mako had confided in her to help ensure his girlfriend's protection, and here she was going behind his back to help her do something that could be incredibly dangerous.

A moment of silence passes, and then Asami speaks up again. "I've got everything set already. Don't worry about doing a thing besides being ready to go, I'll come by your room and we'll leave from there."

"And you're absolutely sure about this, right?" She asks, vainly hoping that the heiress had changed her mind.

"I couldn't be more sure of it, Korra. Look, I know you're nervous and I know you don't like that you've had to lie to Mako about it, but trust me, it'll all be fine," Asami says, trying her best to reassure the Avatar. It doesn't work. In fact, it just makes her think of yet another kink in their hazardous plan.

"He said he'll be on the look out, by the way," Korra adds, looking over at the Sato heiress to gauge her reaction.

"I know. We'll have to be careful."

"And what if he tries to stop us?" Korra asks warily. She doesn't want to have to fight him or knock him out. She doesn't want him to even see her. She won't be able to withstand the despairing look on his face when he realizes she's broken his trust and that he's confided in her for nothing.

"I'll handle it," Asami assures her with certainty. Korra is momentarily taken aback by the steely resolve on the heiresses face, but in the end she nods.

"Good, because I don't think I'll be able to." And the discussion ends there, because at that moment Jinora appears to tell them that dinner is ready.

* * *

Several hours after dinner, long after the moon settles up in its perch in the sky and the lights of the city far off on the shore begin to glow, Korra anxiously sits in her room in wait.

She listens as the house grows quiet and the island winds down just like the City does. The Acolytes shuffle off to bed, the wing-tailed lemurs curl up in their trees, and the sky bison float back down to the ground and huddle into their pen for the night.

The Airbending children have long gone to bed, although Jinora is probably secretly reading under the covers. Pema and Tenzin are probably just settling down into bed.

She doesn't know what those Fabulous Bending Brothers are doing, but she's sure that Mako, at least, is still wide awake and alert. Perhaps Bolin has collapsed into bed with his limbs sprawled out and Pabu balled up on his stomach.

Thinking of Bolin, Korra later finds herself bending a few fragments of earth in her hand, watching them spin in a circle and weave through her fingers.

And when she knows it's very late, she snaps her fingers and a flame flickers on the tip of her index finger. She watches it dance.

Before she knows it, there's a knock on the door and Asami pokes her head in to say that it's time. Butterfly-moths flutter in her stomach before the dizzy and fly into each other and drop to the ground. Korra rises from her bed and follows her out.

They make it out the door and halfway down the steps and Korra's wondering if Mako has either nodded off in his vigil or already met up with and been dealt with by Asami.

She's just about to ask when the Firebender himself is suddenly standing there at the bottom of the steps to great them, arms crossed over his chest and a deep frown on his face.

The butterfly-moths twitch and turn into some feathery, fluttery knot. Korra frowns and holds back a mournful comment about how the Spirits must hate her.

"Korra?" When he recognizes her and when she hears the denial and hurt in his voice, she wants to turn around and march right back into the house, collapse on the bed, and burn in shame. Instead, she freezes on the steps and crosses her arms over her chest and holds them tight to try to make it look like she's actually not completely torn over this. "I should've known you were lying to me. You never can resist danger, can you?"

It hurts and it's not true at all, but she doesn't make any sort of rebuttal. She just stands there and stares.

"Korra's just coming as support. She didn't want me to go and she doesn't want to go herself, but she agreed because she wanted to make sure I was okay," Asami says, coming to her defense quickly.

"I don't care what the reason may be, she still went behind my back and lied to me," Mako says heatedly.

"Technically she didn't lie. She just didn't tell you the full story," Asami counters. "But that doesn't matter, because we're going. Now are you going to let us go or will we have to get past you, Mako?"

"You don't need to do this, Asami," Mako insists, practically pleads.

"No, Mako, I do. I need this; I need the closure. If your parents were still alive and you suddenly found out that either one or both of them were not the people you thought they were, wouldn't you want to go check on them one last time? Wouldn't you want to make one last attempt to get them to come back to you?" Asami begged, tears nearly spilling over, threatening her makeup.

"I know, Asami, but this is just too dangerous."

"I _need_ to _try_," Asami answers desperately. "Please, Mako."

"If I can't convince you not to do it, then let me come with you both."

"No. Korra and I already decided that it'll be the two of us."

"If your dad's still there, you might need the extra help," Mako insists. "And I'll just follow you anyway if you don't willingly let me help."

"I can knock you out. I know pressure points on the body well enough to do it."

"I know you don't want to do that, Asami." When Korra looks back and forth between the two, she sees the certainty in Mako's eyes and the hesitation in Asami's, and that's when she knows that the matter is settled. Mako will be coming with them.

Asami simply shakes her head in confirmation before she hastily descends the steps to meet him. "I'm sorry," she says passionately as she leans into him, and Korra thinks that it's going to get icky and awkward when Asami , instead of kissing him, lifts a hand and pinches the back of his neck.

And Mako flickers out of consciousness in an instant.

"Come on, Korra," Asami says roughly, and the shell-shocked Avatar clearly knows that the heiress is struggling with what she's just done. "Let's just drag him behind this bush so no one sees him lying here and then we'll be off."

Korra unwillingly grabs the Firebender's feet while Asami grabs his arms and the two haul him behind the closest shrub and hurry off.

"Should I bring Naga? It'll be easier to get to the mainland and we'll get to the Mansion quicker," Korra offers. Asami stops to consider it.

"Well I don't have my bike and it'd be an awfully long walk…okay, let's bring her with us. But for her safety, maybe we should leave her a block or so behind?"

"Sounds good to me," Korra agrees, and goes to fetch her large, furry companion.

A few minutes later, the Waterbender comes bounding over on the back of the polar-bear dog. As the pair approaches at an alarmingly fast rate, the Sato heiress can't help but wonder just when Korra plans on stopping before Naga runs her over when she swings by, extends a hand, and swoops Asami up onto the dog's back.

And then they're galloping down the steep slope leading down to the dock and bounding into the water before Asami can even process it all.

* * *

**A/N: **So there's chapter 2! Poor Mako, left in the bushes by his girlfriend! I swear, next chapter will actually involve the two breaking into the Sato Mansion. But for now, let me know what you thought of this second installment! I love reviews, so throw 'em at me (nicely, though, because I suck at catching).


	3. Shapes in the Shadows

**A/N: **Thank you to everyone for the wonderful responses I've been getting to this story! I'm so glad you're all enjoying it as much as I am! Now get ready for what you've all been waiting for: the break-in!

* * *

After Korra bends the saltwater out of their hair and their clothes, Asami points to the left and guides them away from the docks of Republic City and toward the Sato Mansion.

When Asami indicates that they are a block away, they dismount Naga. Korra affectionately strokes her head and tells her that they won't be too long, but if they're not back by morning that she should go get help. The Sato heiress wonders for a moment how the animal could ever understand all that, because it is a rather tall order, but then she remembers hearing about how the Avatar and his or her spirit guide are supposed to have a particularly strong bond. While it seems far-fetched to her, it works for Korra, and she figures that that's all that matters.

Still, Naga's reluctant to let her friend and master out of her sight, and as they walk away Asami hears the large animal whimper sadly. She feels bad for her, but she knows that Naga will be just fine. She's a big girl and she can handle herself on her own for the time being.

"We'll be back soon, I promise!" Korra calls back, surely feeling guilty about leaving her friend alone while she goes off on a potentially dangerous mission. And then it's just the two of them on foot.

It doesn't seem like long before they're standing at the base of the mountainous estate feeling rather small and realizing how daunting this seemingly simple task may be. Korra looks up and gulps down those butterfly-moths that seem to keep sprouting up again.

"You ready?" Asami asks, glancing at Korra.

The butterfly-moths make her inclined to say no, but instead she nods. "Let's do this." And they begin ascending the many steps leading up to the entrance of the house.

While beyond fit, Korra still finds herself puffing a bit when they finally reach the steps. She takes a second to wonder how on earth the Satos did it all the time and figures that they must have some sort of shortcut, and then she turns to Asami, as she's unsure of what to do next.

"Are we going to enter right here through the front door?" she asks rather dubiously. It seems like a terrible idea; like they might as well announce their presence to the entire estate and whoever may still be around.

"No, we can use the servants' entrance."

"I knew you guys had a house staff, but I didn't think you'd have a separate _entrance_ for them," says Korra, surprised.

"It's not that we think any less of them, it's just that it's easier access for them. The servants' entrance leads right into the kitchen and right down the hall is the wash room. It's convenient for them," Asami explains. "Now, come on. This way," she says grabbing Korra's arm and pulling her around the left side of the Sato mansion.

Given its grandiose size, it takes a little bit of time to go around to the very back of the mansion. In the meantime, Korra can't help but think that it would just be easier for a servant to walk through the front and make their way toward the back than to go all the way around the back. It seems like a hassle.

But for their purposes tonight, she doesn't care, because it does seem like a much better idea than using the front door.

When they reach the servants' entrance, Korra learns of another reason as to why it is a much better entry point than the front door. "It's much easier to picklock," says Asami, pulling a hairpin from her dark curls and bending it to fit the shape of the lock before sticking it in and twisting. Korra waits eagerly and, just as she begins to doubt whether it will work, Asami manages to get the lock to click. The door swings open slowly.

Asami waves for her to follow her inside where it is pitch black. Korra snaps her fingers and a small flame similar to the one she had conjured up earlier flickers to life at the tip of her index finger.

"This way," Asami whispers, and Korra follows, making sure to stay close behind her.

With its vast marble halls and the cavernous ceilings, even their light footsteps seem too loud for their discrete and clandestine mission. The dancing flame in Korra's finger seems to thunder in her ears and makes her fear that they might be overheard by whomever, if anyone, is still around.

Asami guides her up the stairs and down the hall, and despite how dark it is Korra recognizes the path because it is the same one she took to get to the bathroom not too long ago. It was in this hallway that she had overheard Hiroshi Sato speaking to an Equalist accomplice about Cabbage Corp. and the enigmatic "strike."

A shiver ghosts down the back of her spine as they stop at the doors to Hiroshi's office.

"I'm going inside to leave my letter; you can wait here if you want," Asami tells her quietly, and Korra nods and assures her that she'll stand guard at the doorway.

Flame still flickering in hand, the Waterbender presses herself up against the door frame and carefully watches Asami enter, just in case her father or somebody else as equally dangerous is waiting to ambush her.

Nothing happens; no one jumps out to attack. Korra watches Asami approach the desk and ruffle through her pocket a moment before pulling out a folded piece of parchment. She turns away, letting the girl have her moment to leave her apology and perhaps sweep the desk for nostalgic or strategic meaning.

The gentle hand that falls on her shoulder startles her and she raises her arms into a defensive position and whips around, ready to defend herself, when she realizes that it's just Asami. "Ready to get going?"

Sighing in relief, the Waterbender nods.

They're nearly at the end of the hall and about ready to descend the stairs when Asami stops mid-step and turns to face Korra with a look of distress. "Wait, I need to grab something before we leave. Just one thing, I promise."

"Okay, but we have to make it quick. Where is it?"

"In my room," Asami answers. "I'm sorry, it's extremely important. It's a memento of my mother's. If I'm never coming back here, or at least, if I'm not coming back for a while, I want to take it with me."

Korra reluctantly concedes to Asami's request, knowing that she can't possibly deny this one favor.

"It's not far though, is it?" asks the Avatar, to which the heiress replies, "No, it's just a left turn at the end of this hall and then the only door on the right; it's at the end of that hall."

And with that, they're heading back down the hall and deeper into the mansion.

"You going to wait outside the door again?" she asks. Korra nods. "I'll be right out."

"I'll be waiting."

Again, she watches her friend enter the room and waits to make sure that the coast is clear inside before she turns her attention to the hallway.

"Korra." The Avatar jolts at the sound of Asami's voice right behind her. Turning, she looks behind her to see what the problem is.

"Something wrong, Asami?"

"It's too dark. Can you help me look with that nifty fire of yours?"

Korra nods and follows her into the room, unable to avoid noticing how huge it is. She can see that there's a large window that takes up nearly an entire wall, but because it's facing nothing but a pavilion and the woods further down below and because the moon is shining down on the opposite end of the mansion, it's quite dark, indeed. No wonder Asami needs a little more light.

"It's in this jewelry box in here," Asami says, opening up a large oak dresser and pulling out a large, ornate wooden box. It's hand-carved and really quite beautiful. Asami carefully sets it down on the nearby desk sitting against the window and opens it up. "Mind aiming that fire a little lower?" She softly inquires, and Korra complies as she peers about the room, continuing to scout for danger.

"Find it yet?" she asks, beginning to get a little antsy. She doesn't like that they've both got their backs turned away from everything else. She feels vulnerable to attack.

"Ah, here it is!" Asami says with relief and she pulls out of the box something that glitters in the firelight. It's silver and most likely a necklace, but that's all Korra makes out before the Sato heiress pockets the trinket and goes to return the intricate box to its original location.

"Great. No more last minute stops, now?"

"No, none," says Asami as she closes the doors to the dresser and leaves the room. Korra follows in toe and they head back down the hallways toward the main stairs.

But something doesn't quite seem right. She feels a nagging sensation in the back of her mind, trying to race to the forefront so as to remind her of what the trouble is, but it's not getting to her. She turns around and looks over her shoulder, getting that unsettling vibe that there's someone or something they've missed, and sees a dark shape dart across the end of the hall.

"Asami, wait," Korra hisses as quietly as possible. The heiress halts in her tracks—both of them do.

Asami looks back at her, silently wondering what the matter is. Korra frowns, knowing that whatever she's feeling and whatever she's seen, Asami isn't experiencing anything similar to it.

"I saw something," Korra says, her head turned sideways so that she's partially looking at the fair-skinned non-bender and partially looking back down the hall.

"I don't see anything. Let's go, we're almost there," Asami insists, and Korra warily follows.

They make it to the top of the staircase in the front entrance right when Korra feels the prickling sensation of eyes on her back. "Asami, run!" she shouts just as an unseen assailant comes up from behind and beats two rapidly successive and very well-placed blows to her neck and shoulder joints. She crumples to the floor in an instant, just like Mako had not just a few hours earlier.

Naturally, Asami doesn't run. Instead, she runs back up the staircase and tries to fight off Korra's unknown assailant in the piercing darkness. She places a few well-aimed blows to the solar-plexus, the right shoulder, the left shin, and even a punch to the face, but when he recovers, and he does so more quickly than she expects, he deals a blow that knocks her back. Just as she's regaining her balance and coming back at him, he grabs her arm, twists it, and jabs her in the back of the neck before she can work her way out of his hold.

And she, too, drops to the floor, unconscious.

When she wakes up in the morning at the very base of the steps leading up to the Sato Mansion, Korra is nowhere in sight.

* * *

**A/N: **I know, I'm a horrible person. I assure you, though, the next chapter will be up sooner than you think. In the meantime, feel free to guess who you think it is that managed to take down both Korra and Asami and why you think they left Asami but took Korra. But also don't forget to review! Reviewers get a cart full of cabbages on me!


	4. Getting Nowhere

**A/N: **I'm so sorry! I know, I said it would be up a lot sooner, but to make up for it I made this chapter extra long! I think it kinda really sucks, especially after seeing the amazing episode 8, but oh well. Let me know what you think, anyway. Hopefully it's not too awful for you. Oh, and warning, there's a wee bit of swearing and lots of teen angst.

* * *

For a moment, the newborn rays of sunlight in combination with the killer throbbing in her head and the stiffness throughout her body daze her. She lays there on the pavement trying to gather herself up again before she even tries to open her eyes or sit up. And then, when she feels fairly certain she won't just fall back down again while the world spins like the wheel of a racing Satomobile, she sits up, clutching her forehead and squinting in the light.

She wonders how on earth she's ended up outside and exactly where outside she is until she looks up and sees her family's estate. She gasps in alarm. The memories of the previous night come barreling at her in a disjunctive heap, which she mostly remembers up until the part where she ran back up the stairs after some unknown figure. Why?

Because of Korra.

She remembers running back up there for Korra's sake. The Avatar had shouted for her to run just before their assailant knocked her out from behind. Asami hadn't listened, but rather gone back to fight him off.

And she'd lost.

Looking around in a panic, Asami's fear grows as she realizes that Korra isn't anywhere nearby. That's when she knows that the worst has occurred: Korra has been kidnapped.

Perhaps the only thing more unsettling than that fact is the fact that Asami could have just as easily been kidnapped, too, but she hadn't.

Whoever it was had wanted Korra and Korra alone. For whatever reason, they hadn't been interested in Asami at all.

She rises as quickly as she can, causing her head to spin for a second before she's off, heading for the spot where she and Korra left Naga late the night before. Although it's already morning—granted, it's very early in the morning—she figures there's still a chance that the Avatar's faithful companion may still be waiting, hoping that she doesn't have to resort to returning to the Island for help.

And luckily, Naga is there looking quite concerned. Asami takes a moment to awe at just how expressive those marble-like black eyes can be before she carefully approaches the dog. Naga hardly knows Asami, but she does know that she came with Korra, so maybe Naga won't try to eat her for breakfast or swipe a heavy clawed paw at her.

Thankfully, she doesn't. Instead she looks at Asami as if she might have information to share. And she does, but it's not very good information. She feels silly talking to a polar bear-dog as if it can understand her, although she feels less silly when she realizes that it probably can. It's above average intelligence, clearly.

She sadly tells Naga what's happened to Korra and that, if she allows Asami on her back to ride her (although she has no idea as to how), then they can go get help more quickly.

Naga whimpers at the unfortunate news, but then nudges Asami and bends down as if to tell her to get on. Hesitantly, she does. Grabbing the reins uncertainly, Asami pulls them and says, "Let's go!" and astonishingly enough, the polar bear-dog complies. For all of two seconds she's feeling pretty good about herself and being able to command someone else's oversized furry companion before that confidence turns to panic when Naga bolts off much faster than she ever expected.

They're tearing through Republic City, passing by the waking citizens and shopkeepers. It's at this time that Asami decides that although she loves the thrill of driving a racing Satomobile, she finds that she hates the sheer terror of riding on the saddle of a giant dog that she has no control over. Perhaps if Korra gave her lessons on how to ride Naga, it wouldn't be so frightening. But right now, she can't help thinking she's going to crash into something at any moment and that if Naga stops, she'll go flying. But Korra's spirit guide is much more controlled and reliable than Asami gives her credit for.

Thankfully, they make it to the docks not only in record timing, but in one piece. Now, however, comes a whole new obstacle: swimming on Naga across Yue Bay. Asami heavily debates taking Naga on the ferry, but then realizes that unfortunately, the ferry isn't running yet.

Polar bear-dog it is.

It seems that all this morning has been so far is Asami fretting for her life because of enormous and incredibly loyal pets, crossing large bodies of water, and riding things she can't control in a crowded city. When she finally makes it to the dock of Air Temple Island, again remarkably in one piece and still alive, she's glad that that part of the day is over. Maybe now she can just worry about the insurmountable guilt of failing Korra and getting her kidnapped and the anxiety of telling both Mako and, oh Spirits, Tenzin, that that is what has happened. The Avatar has been kidnapped.

Unfortunately, she doesn't have much time at all to prep for what she's going to say to them. As she's coming up the steps, they and Bolin come racing down them with Pema tottering as fast as she can far behind them.

"Asami, where's Korra?" asks Tenzin concernedly. Naga bows her head and whimpers. Asami gulps.

"She—I don't know. Someone attacked us and we were both knocked out. When I woke up this morning, Korra was nowhere in sight," Asami explains solemnly. "It's all my fault and I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." She only hopes that they understand just how sorry she is. She wishes she'd never gone to Korra and convinced her to come along.

"So you're saying that Korra's been kidnapped?" Bolin asks fearfully.

Asami mournfully nods. As she lowers her eyes, unable to meet those of the people around her, she spares a glance in Mako's direction. He looks like he wants to say "I told you so," but his worry for Korra and understanding of how guilty Asami already feels make him hold his tongue.

"Do you have any idea who it might have been?" Tenzin asks urgently, now pressing for any details that might narrow the suspects down. Pema silently arrives, immediately going to Tenzin's side to stand beside him and grasp his arm with a concerned expression on her face.

"They didn't use bending and they didn't use the gloves or the kali sticks. They used chi-blocking, I think," she says, half-guessing because the fight was such a quick, dark blur.

"So you're thinking it may be an Equalist who met up with you two at the Sato Mansion?" Tenzin asks.

"I don't know," she answers uncertainly. "They might've been a bender just trying to hide their identity. I'm sorry I can't say anything more to help."

"It's all right. You did all you could," Tenzin reassures her, but she still feels absolutely terrible. "We'll find her soon enough, I'm sure."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Bolin asks.

Tenzin shakes his head. "I'm afraid not. We can't go barging into any known or unknown Equalist hideouts. Even if we did, there are surely hundreds and we can't possibly check them all. I would go to Lin, but…" and he trails off there, because everyone knows that Lin Beifong can't do anything for them now. Not now that she's resigned from being Chief of Police.

Of course, there is the new Chief of Police, but Tenzin wouldn't trust him, especially not with Korra's fate, as far as he could Earthbend him. Although he doesn't have any physical evidence as to why anyone should distrust the man, Tenzin doesn't like Councilman Tarrlok one bit.

"We can't just wait for them to drop her off at your doorstep," Mako argues, of course wanting to spur into action. "When Bolin was kidnapped—"

"When your brother was kidnapped it was a completely different situation, Mako," Tenzin insists. "While you and Bolin only had a few possible enemies who could've taken him…"

"Korra has a whole city," says Mako solemnly as the true scale of the situation hits them all.

"Exactly. Republic City is, after all, at war," Tenzin answers.

"There really isn't much we can do, is there?" Bolin asks sadly, looking rather glassy-eyed.

Tenzin shakes his head. "I'm afraid not. But let's head back to the house and see if we can't narrow down the suspects any further," he suggests, and although it's a sad and seemingly pointless alternative to going out on a search, it's the only one they've got.

As they head up the stairs, Mako wraps his arm around Asami and she turns her head to look at him. "You know what's bothering me the most?"

"What's that?" he asks quietly.

"The fact that whoever it was that attacked us could have taken us both, but they didn't. They only wanted Korra."

Mako opens his mouth to speak, but he doesn't know what to say. There's nothing he can say to lessen the guilt; nothing he can say to make her think that there's a bit of hope. Because after the whole "the entire city could have something against her" thing, there's not really a positive way to spin this. There are no leads and no suspects. As far as they're concerned, they've got nothing at the moment.

When they get inside the house and sit around the table to begin discussing the situation, Asami opens up the discussion by asking, "Who could have known that we'd be there? It had to have been someone staking the place out."

"Well it wasn't your father," Mako starts off. "If it was, there isn't really a reason as to why he wouldn't have taken you, too."

"Whoever it was was solely after Korra," Bolin adds.

"It could have been an Equalist. Although Asami said that they didn't use bending, that doesn't mean that it wasn't a bender. It's just highly unlikely that it was a bender who took Korra."

"Right, because she's like the beacon of hope for all benders, especially now," Bolin adds.

"But we shouldn't rule that idea out," Asami reasons, and the group nods.

"So if it was an Equalist, it must either be one who's low in the ranks or new because they didn't have either of the weapons that other more powerful Equalists have," says Asami.

"Or maybe they just preferred to use chi-blocking because they knew that it would be dark and he could've had an advantage," Mako adds as an afterthought.

"Perhaps they were trying to hide their identity," Pema suggests from beside Tenzin. "It could be a bender who blames Korra for the start of this war or for some other catastrophe in Republic City. Or it could be a higher-up Equalist trying to hide the fact that he might have been sent by Amon or Hiroshi Sato to stake out the house. The Equalists, at least, would probably figure Asami would want to come back home and might bring a friend or two with her. They must have thought that Korra would come not only because she's trying to help a friend, but because there was a possibility of gathering a little more intel about Hiroshi. They know she likes to take things into her own hands and would want to investigate the place a little further on her own."

While Pema's deduction is brilliant, it doesn't help narrow down the suspects at all. In fact, it only widens the pool of possible suspects.

Grunting in frustration, Mako gets up from the table and angrily says, "This is completely useless!" and stalks off.

Bolin and Asami worried eyes follow his retreating form until it's out of sight, then turn back to Pema and Tenzin to see their reaction and to figure out what to do now.

"As much as he may have been speaking out of frustration, Mako's right. There's no point in us sitting around here going in circles. Why don't you two go talk to him and try to calm him down?" Tenzin suggests, calmly dismissing them from the table. Without hesitation, Asami and Bolin silently rise from the table and walk out after the irate Firebender.

As soon as they're gone, Tenzin hopelessly turns to Pema, whose face is full of nothing but deep concern, and admits, "I have absolutely no idea where to begin, Pema."

And just like she always does when he's feeling desperate and hopeless, Pema scooches over to him and wraps her arms around him, patting his back and assuring him that some way or another, they'll find her and bring her back.

"I'm sure we will. I just hate the waiting."

* * *

Korra wakes up to the pain, first. There's a throbbing in her head and a soreness in her neck and back. She goes to lift a hand to rub her temples, which are aching, but finds they are restrained. When her bleary eyes adjust to her dark surroundings, she realizes she's somewhere she doesn't recognize at all and that her arms and legs are chained to the ceiling and the floor so that she can't move. It's cold and the walls are a dark grey with some sort of pattern on them that she thinks she's seen before.

The situation isn't looking very good; her heart rate speeds up and starts to pound in her chest. She thinks it's so loud that it's making her head pound all the more. But the worst feeling beyond all of the pain and discomfort and unfamiliarity is the rising feeling snaking up her stomach and catching in her throat. She knows it's fear, but it's also something more. Something difficult to describe.

All she wants is for it to go away, but instead it builds as she waits in the cold, dark, silence for whoever it was who captured her to show up. And that, she thinks, is the most frightening part: who it could be. Because when she stops to think about it, she realizes that she's got quite a few enemies. But who would have been able to predict that she'd be with Asami in the Sato Mansion last night?

Even when she considers that factor, it doesn't limit the suspects any.

While she waits she also wonders about Asami and whether she really did run like Korra told her to. Something tells her she didn't; it's not in Asami's character to leave a friend in need to save herself. However, if she did stay, what happened and where is she now?

The questions keep flittering through her throbbing head as she waits, and she ends up doing a lot of it.

Finally, though, a door on the opposite end of the room opens. Light floods into the room, but the tall, broad-shouldered figure at the door is merely a silhouette and she can't make out a face yet. Not until he's standing right in front of her, leering at her with an annoying smirk on his face.

"Tarrlok!" she says with irate surprise. "I had a feeling there was something funny about you!"

"Was it really a feeling, Korra, or did Tenzin tell you that?" Tarrlok sneers.

"His distrust of you certainly didn't help your case, but I make my judgments based off of my own thoughts and opinions and not anyone else's," she assures him.

"Of course. All grown up and independent, hmm? Think you know how the world works? Think you're ready to save it already?" the councilman mocks, scoffing at what he thought to be arrogance and naiveté.

Korra actually has to take a second to think of retort to that, because she knows that she is far from ready. For a moment, all the doubt and uncertainty and shame pile upon her and make her remember that she's still far from becoming a fully realized Avatar.

She sure as hell isn't going to tell Tarrlok that, though. "I know enough to realize you're certainly not to be trusted. So, what kind of deal did you strike with the Equalists, huh? Keep your bending and your position if you give them the Avatar? Let Amon take down the city as long as you get to keep some sort of political power? Reassurance that you'll get to keep your bending?"

Tarrlok bursts into laughter and it takes him a minute to sober up again. Korra scowls at him the entire time, wishing with all her might that she could pound him and his stupid, overconfident smirk into the floor. If only her arms and legs weren't restrained.

"Oh, Korra, I haven't made any sort of deal with the Equalists. I would never ally myself with those non-bending _vigilantes."_

"Oh? Well then why capture me? If you're against the Equalists, I'm your best bet and whether you like it or not, you've got to deal with it."

"That kind of attitude is exactly why you're here," Tarrlok explains impatiently. "You're cocky, you're arrogant, you're overconfident and reckless. You don't even know what you're doing. You lost your silly showdown with Amon; you lost the battle with him at the Probending Arena. Every time you've tried to face him, you've come up short of expectations. Can you honestly list a single battle you've won so far?"

Korra sputters for much longer than she would like to, wanting to defend herself but unable to help thinking about how every single thing he's said is true. "Maybe I haven't won any 'battles' against him yet, but I'm learning fast and pretty soon I'll have Amon wishing he'd stayed in the shadows and never tried to go up against me."

"As far as I know, you haven't even gotten to the actual _bending_ part of Airbending yet. From what I understand, you're having quite a difficult time with your last element. And then there's the _spiritual_ part of being an Avatar…how soon do you really think it'll be, Korra? How many people have to lose their bending? How many more buildings will be destroyed?"

"I don't know, but from what I've learned from the stories of my predecessor, it's that even the Avatar doesn't win every battle, Tarrlok. So maybe it looks bleak right now, but I'm going to do it," she argues, although the niggling doubt plaguing the back of her mind doesn't help in her conviction.

"It may be dark in here, Korra, but I can see the doubt in your eyes," says Tarrlok, leaning in so that he's merely inches away. Korra stares him down, willing that sliver of doubt to disappear, but it only grows larger.

"I don't have to answer to you, Tarrlok," she tells him, her voice low in warning. _Back away now before I lose my patience and let you see just how much I really can do._

"No, you don't. But your eyes have given me all the proof I need. You see, Korra," he says, laying a hand on her shoulder. She attempts to shrug it off—she'd smack it off, if she could—but he pins his hand there and applies so much pressure that, with the soreness that's there from his attack on her, it hurts. She winces, unable to stop herself. He smirks. "Like I told you, I don't support the Equalists. Not in the slightest. However, I don't believe that people like _you_, or your little pro-bending friends, or Sato's precious non-bending daughter, or even people like Tenzin and Lin Beifong can do anything to bring an end to this war. You've already shown me how unprepared and unconfident you already are; your friends are merely Probenders with a few hat tricks—_Sato_ can't even bend; is she really as trustworthy as you think she is? And as for Tenzin and Lin Beifong, they've both proven to be failures, too."

"And I suppose you think you can stop Amon all by yourself?" Korra asks, agitated at how difficult and ridiculous he's being. If even Tenzin and Lin lost a battle against Amon, what made Tarrlok think he wouldn't?

"I haven't had any losses yet, have I?"

"You're—you're ridiculous!" Korra shouts.

"And you're going to seem so too once everyone sees the new headlines: _Avatar Assists Daughter of Known Equalist Supporter, Hiroshi Sato._"

"What are you talking about?"

"As far as the headlines are concerned, you've committed a felony and are being detained for the time being for treason and breaking in to a home known to be under Police Force surveillance. As far as everyone else knows, you were helping Asami Sato communicate secret information to the Equalists."

"_What?_ No one's going to believe that!"

"That's another reason why you're completely unqualified. You don't know these people in Republic City. You'd be surprised as to how easily they'll pick up a cause or an idea just because somebody powerful promotes it," Tarrlok informs her, taking a few steps back. It's a good idea, because she'd have already knocked him through the wall if she wasn't restrained. But at this point, she is determined not to let restraints hold her back from showing him the meaning of the word "qualified."

"So what's all this going to do for you? How do you benefit from making me seem like an Equalist sympathizer?" Korra asks sardonically, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

"It's going to discredit you. And Lin Beifong's resignation had quite perfect timing, too. Only I wish I could've fired her myself…had I gotten to the Police Headquarters just a little sooner!" Tarrlok says, sounding agitated. Like he'd reached for something only for it to slip out of his grasp. Korra couldn't help but smirk. Lin's reputation wouldn't be that easy to tarnish.

"Oh, too bad! Poor Tarrlok didn't get what he wanted," Korra teased, miming sadness.

"By the time you ever get out of here, no one will support you. The benders will think you're a joke and the Equalists already despise you," Tarrlok spits back.

"And I suppose you think that you can just discredit all of us—me, Lin, and Tenzin—to the point where you're the only plausible authority figure that could take down Amon and the Equalists, huh?"

"That's exactly my plan," Tarrlok says, smiling confidently. She can see the agitation in his eyes, though. She can tell he wants so badly just to lash out, but he has to keep his calm.

"I can tell you right now, it's never going to work. Besides, you can't hole me up in here forever. Maybe some people will believe your lies, but not everyone will. And not everyone will appreciate your locking up the Avatar in prison. There'll be breakout attempts, riots—who knows," Korra passionately insists, leaning forward as much as she can.

"Ah, but this particular cell you're staying in is unknown to the public. Perhaps only ex-Chief Beifong knows where it is—deep underground. Reserved for only the worst of the worst of Republic City's criminals."

"Regardless, I think you'll have quite a mess on your hands. And spirits help you if you get on Lin Beifong's bad side."

"I suppose I'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Tarrlok says dismissively, waving a hand as he begins to head back toward the door. "Oh, and another thing you should know: those headlines will also be mentioning Asami Sato's very likely connection with the Equalists and how she left you to fend for yourself while she ran off to save herself. We may end up having to bring her in for questioning, actually. Wouldn't want a high-up, dangerous Equalists' daughter hanging around Air Temple Island gathering up secrets, would we?"

It's when he flashes a perversely pleased grin that her anger bubble over and she finds herself pulling against the restraints, shouting insults and actually breathing fire at him. "You despicable, lying bastard!"

Tarrlok laughs and shuts the door behind him. Korra continues to glare at the spot he last stood long after he leaves.

* * *

**A/N: **I should just stick to one-shots, huh? If you still want me to finish this up, please leave a review! If not, I might just let this die as an incomplete mess.


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